Did you know there is a color called ‘Millennial Pink’? Well, apparently this is it…it’s hard to be 100% sure though, considering millennial pink is continuously morphing to encompass a variety of shades. Although I am technically a millennial, I’m from the small sliver that still remembers when LIT meant high, “beat face” was an insult, and AF stood for Abercrombie & Fitch. As the second oldest of five kids, three of whom are under the age of 23, I am constantly reminded that I am out of touch with the “hip lingo” (this would probably also explain why I am only now learning the term millennial pink). The day I got Instagram was a real riot in my household, similar to when your parents get Facebook, however, the day I use “on fleek,” not in jest, will be a dark day in history. Since I’ve established that I am old, it should be suffice to say that I no longer blindly follow trends for trendiness sake, this is not to say that my style isn’t constantly evolving, but this evolution isn’t dictated by the masses or fitting in— thank god, I’m looking at you cropped flares. I find that people with genuine style will gravitate towards what they like regardless of trend or brand and will unwittingly land on, or set, some trends in the process, essentially my goal. This coat was one of those purchases, I was drawn to it unaware of the millennial pink campaign that was soon to follow. Pink is actually my favorite color, however it is not my favorite color to wear. I had an all pink bedroom growing up and obviously had a pink cell phone, but I never really gravitated towards the girly shade for my attire. Pink was always sweet, pretty, or cute, but never cool. The way it has been done recently in outerwear, athleisure, and unexpected fabrics has given the color some edge that I am happily incorporating into my wardrobe. Speaking of pink, when I first moved to NYC complete strangers would stop me on the street and tell me I had an “intense pink aura.” At first, I thought this was some kind of scam or tourist trap until it happened enough times that I conferred with other people hoping to compare experiences, turns out this was a me specific thing. I’m writing about this as if I believe in the whole aura thing or it’s something to brag about, but if I’m being honest I have no idea what that actually means. I guess it doesn’t matter anyways since this hasn’t happened in years, proving once again that this fine city will suck the life right out of you, but I can order churros on UberEATS at 4:00 am so it’s a fair trade. I know what you’re thinking, my ability to jump from one non-fashion related pink topic to the next is impressive….so let’s get back on track.Remember how we talked about Stephen’s favorite dress, well let me introduce you to Stephen’s least favorite dress. He doesn’t “get” the plastic pieces, claiming they seem cheap. Personally I love paillettes, it’s a nod to my favorite fashion era and they are a whimsical accoutrement, especially in this mint green scale pattern, slightly reminiscent of the ever enviable Rainbow Fish. This is also a friendly reminder of why we shouldn’t dress for guys. Stephen is a solid shopping buddy though, so I will take his opinion into account, but ultimately I do me. I used to be oddly drawn to anything beaded and sequined, my friend’s mom used to say I was like a bird—apparently they are attracted to shiny things? I also doused myself with body glitter, often in conjunction with glitter hairspray, because I’m subtle and understated like that (let’s just note I was 12 and also contemplated changing my name to Sparkle, much to my parent’s dismay). Fast forward to fast fashion which single-handedly killed the “specialness” of sparkly pieces for me, the show-stopping sequined number is a dime a dozen these days, but I’ll occasionally still indulge. I mainly pulled this one out of the archives because of my current love affair with this long pink moto jacket, spring is upon us and I needed a dose of bright colors. I apprenticed at a clothing boutique when I was in college and the store owner taught me a valuable lesson, she said “you have an amazing wardrobe, don’t be afraid to mix and match with what you already have.” In the world of fashion and Instagram repeating outfits has become discouraged, but a fresh styling can give new life to old pieces. I’ve typically worn this dress with black accents and always belted or tunic-ed. This jacket made me see it in a new light, combining it with pink took it from evening to spring instantly. Pink works surprisingly well as a neutral, it can mix with a lot of different colors and patterns, but pink and green is a classic combination with just the right amount of preppy WASP elegance to cure my winter blues. Remember when Vogue remade George Michael’s iconic Freedom video for the 25th anniversary and Anna Ewers was wearing the Tory Burch Ainsley Bra Top? I do, because the whole look was stunning, so maybe subliminally I’ve had pink and green on the mind ever since. In fact, Tory Burch’s whole spring line is packed with pink/green/60s nostalgia that I’m literally drooling over (this one is to die for). Clearly Tor and I are on the same spring wavelength this year. Since the rest of my outfit has a lot going on I went with the Stuart Weitzman Nudist, which is the shoe that sparked my current minimalist shoe phase. If I had blogged in a different life you would have seen a lot of footwear featuring booties, feathers, platforms, fringe, fur, you name it — a resurgence could always be on the horizon though so stay tuned. I actually used to hate nude shoes, one reason being that “nude” for white folk (which most nude shoes were typically modeled after) usually reads off-white on me. My feet are unfortunately indiscernible from the color of a Rainbow flip-flop. Ironically, this soured mindset all changed because of my brother’s wedding. I was a bridesmaid in his summer nuptials and his wife had requested we all wear some kind of nude heel, to which I silently protested, but begrudgingly went to try on the dreaded plain shoe. This is when I met the Nudist and realized bro’s wife was on to something. The Nudist elongated my legs, gave me the coveted Jessica Rabbit foot, was subtle, sexy, and went with EVERYTHING. I own a lot of “power pieces” so having a shoe that doesn’t compete, not only made selection easier, it cut down on the number of pairs needed to finish off my looks. Since the Nudist is made by my beloved Stuart Weitzman, it’s available in a 4.5 and a beautifully made shoe, but…the pitch is extremely high and they have zero platform, so it’s what I consider a dinner shoe (a night where you’ll mostly be sitting but will look good upon entry). The Nudist comes in a lower heel, the Nudistsong, so maybe try that if comfort is important or you want to wear them for more everyday activities.